Police investigating a nail-bomb attack at a mosque blew up part of the device in a controlled explosion today.

As officers searched the scene, one imam, Ghulam Rasool, called on his ­community to stay calm and not let the ­incident cause inter-faith tensions.

The blast on Friday scattered nails and other debris over a large area around Kanz Ul Iman Masjid mosque in Tipton in the West Midlands.

No one was injured when it went off but police said the device had been ­designed to cause “serious harm”.

Chief Superintendent Mark ­Robinson, of West Midlands Police, also appealed for calm, adding: “People are determined to carry on. It’s ­business as usual.”

Residents reported hearing a loud bang in wasteland off Binfield Street, Tipton, at around 1pm yesterday that scattered nails and other debris over a large area and into local gardens.

It is understood the explosion centred on an embankment near a disused rail line running behind the mosque.

No-one was injured in the explosion but some minor damage to property was reported.

Army experts were called to the area and residents were told to stay away from the scene until it had been made safe.

The incident came on the same day murdered soldier Lee Rigby was remembered at a private funeral service in Bury, Greater Manchester, and just weeks after an explosion near a mosque in the Caldmore area of Walsall on June 21.